(a) The Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch requires the maintenance of high standards of honesty, integrity, and impartiality by employees. To reduce the potential for employee conflict of interest, any processing, approval, servicing or review activity, including access through automated information systems, is conducted only by authorized Rural Development employees who:

(1) Are not themselves the recipient.

(2) Are not members of the family or known close relatives of the recipient.

(3) Do not have an immediate working relationship with the recipient, the employee related to the recipient, or the employee who would normally conduct the activity.

(4) Do not have a business or close personal association with the recipient.

(b) No provision of this subpart takes precedence over individual program requirements or restrictions relating to eligibility for Rural Development assistance to Rural Development employees, members of families of employees, close relatives, or business or close personal associates of employees.

(c) The determination of a case's need for special handling under the provisions of this subpart is not an adverse action and, therefore, is not subject to appeal.

(d) The provisions of this subpart do not apply to the Farm Service Agency. The relevant regulations applicable to the Farm Service Agency can be found at 5 CFR parts 2635 and 8301.

Applicant or borrower. All persons or organizations, individually or collectively, applying for or receiving insured or guaranteed loan or grant assistance from or through Rural Development. Referred to as recipient.

Assistance. Loans or grants made, insured or guaranteed, or serviced by Rural Development.

Associates. All persons with whom an employee has a business or close personal association or immediate working relationship.

Business association. Business relationship between those with an identity of financial interest; including but not limited to a business partnership, being an officer, director, trustee, partner or employee of an organization, or other long-term contractual relationship.

Close personal association. Social relationship between unrelated residents of the same household.

Close relatives. The spouse, relatives and step-relatives of an employee or the employee's spouse, including Grandmother, Grandfather, Mother, Father, Aunt, Uncle, Sister, Brother, Daughter, Son, Niece, Nephew, Granddaughter, Grandson, and First Cousin.

Conflict of interest. A situation (or the appearance of one) in which one could reasonably conclude that a Rural Development employee's private interest conflicts with his or her Government duties and responsibilities, even though there may not actually be a conflict.

Employee. All Rural Development personnel, including gratuitous employees and those negotiating for or having arrangements for prospective employment, except as otherwise specifically stated. For the purposes of this instruction only, the term also refers to county or area committee members, elected or appointed, and to closing agents who, although they are not employees, have a special relationship to Rural Development and therefore should be subject to these provisions.

Immediate working relationship. A relationship between a subordinate and a supervisor in a direct line, or between co-workers in the same office. For the purposes of this subpart, the relationships among a County Supervisor and members of the local County Committee are immediate working relationships.

Members of family. Blood and in-law relatives (such as by marriage or adoption) who are residents of the employee's household.

Recipient. One who has applied for or received Rural Development financial assistance in the form of a loan or grant. See definition of applicant or borrower.

(a) Responsibility of applicant. When an application for assistance is filed, the processing official asks if there is any known relationship or association with a Rural Development employee. The applicant is required to disclose the requested information under pertinent program regulations.

(b) Responsibility of the Rural Development employee. A Rural Development employee who knows he or she is related to or associated with an applicant or recipient, regardless of whether the relationship or association is known to others, is required to notify the Rural Development official who is processing or servicing the assistance, in writing. RD Guide Letter 1900-D-1 (available in any RD office) may be used as the notice. If the appropriate official is not known, the State Director should be notified. Regardless of whether the relationship or association is defined in § 1900.152, if the employee believes there may be a potential conflict of interest, the Rural Development official who is processing or servicing the assistance may be notified and special handling requested. An employee's request that the case receive special handling is usually honored.

(c) Responsibility of the Rural Development official. When any relationship or association is identified, the Rural Development official completes and submits RD Guide Letter 1900-D-2 to the State Director (or Administrator, under paragraph (e) of this section or § 1900.155(a)). When completed, RD Guide Letter 1900-D-3 is returned by the State Director, the processing official;

(d) Relationship or association established after application for Rural Development assistance. If a relationship or association is established after an application has been filed or assistance has been provided, both recipient and employee are required to notify the Rural Development official as described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section.

(e) Relationship or association with a State Office, Finance Office or National Office employee. If an identified relationship or association is with an employee at a State Office (other than a State Director), Finance Office or National Office, the processing/servicing official completes and submits RD Guide Letter 1900-D-2 to the State Director in the normal manner. The State Director reviews the information, determines the need for special handling, designates the processing/servicing official, completes and submits RD Guide Letter 1900-D-3 to the Administrator for written concurrence. When the Administrator's concurrence is received, the State Director returns completed RD Guide Letter 1900-D-3 to the original official who completes the action described in paragraph (c) of this section.

(f) Relationship or association with a State Director. If an identified relationship or association is with a State Director, the processing/servicing official completes and submits RD Guide Letter 1900-D-2 to the Administrator. The Administrator reviews, determines the need for special handling, designates the processing/servicing official, completes and returns RD Guide Letter 1900-D-3 to the original official who completes the action described in paragraph (c) of this section.

(g) Change in relationship or association, status of Rural Development assistance, or employee's duty station. If the relationship or association has changed, the application denied or the assistance otherwise terminated, or Rural Development employee's duty station changed, the designated processing/servicing official completes RD Guide Letter 1900-D-2 with the new information and submits it. The review process takes place as described in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section to determine if processing/servicing activity may return to normal or requires another change. If the assistance is denied or otherwise terminated, the designated official notifies the original official.

The State Director (or Administrator, under § 1900.153(e) or § 1900.155(a) of this subpart):

(a) [Reserved]

(b) Determines whether the reported relationship or association is defined in § 1900.152 of this subpart and would violate the provisions of § 1900.151(a) of this subpart,

(c)-(f) [Reserved]

(a) Designating an official with equivalent authority. The State Director (or Administrator, under § 1900.253(e) of this subpart or this paragraph) designates a nonrelated or nonassociated Rural Development official authorized to conduct the activity under program regulations, established delegation of authority and approval authority under subpart A of part 1901 of this chapter, and whose duty station is most convenient to the recipient and to the security property. A type and/or amount of assistance processed or serviced by a County Supervisor or at a County Office should be assigned only to another County Supervisor or County Office. A type and/or amount of assistance processed or serviced by a District Director or at a District Office should be assigned only to another District Director or District Office.

(b) County Committee. For processing or servicing decisions to be made by a County Committee, if the recipient is a member, a different County Committee is designated. If the recipient is related to or associated with the member, notwithstanding the provisions of § 1900.151(a)(3) of this subpart, the State Director may permit the decision to be made by the local committee, if the related/associated member abstains.

(c) [Reserved]

(a) [Reserved]

(b) Eligibility determination. The designated processing official reviews the application and develops additional data as necessary. Upon determination of whether the assistance will be provided, the designated processing official notifies the applicant of the decision in writing under program regulations, subpart A of part 1910 of this chapter, and subpart B of part 1900. If the determination is favorable, unless otherwise designated, the complete application is returned to the original processing official for docket preparation. If the determination is unfavorable, the designated processing official as decisionmaker participates in the appeal process to its conclusion.

(c)-(e) [Reserved]

(f) Closing agent. Unless there is a clear or apparent conflict of interest, closing will be at a location and by a closing agent chosen by the recipient.

(g) Supervised bank account. Unless there is a clear or apparent conflict of interest, any supervised bank account (or construction account) is established at a financial institution chosen by the recipient under subpart A of part 1902 of this chapter. Countersignature authority is delegated only to a nonrelated or nonassociated Rural Development official.

(h) Construction inspection. Construction inspections are delegated to a nonrelated or nonassociated employee authorized to conduct inspections, whose duty station is nearest the construction site. The designated processing/servicing official notifies the builder (or architect/engineer) in writing of how and from whom to request inspections.